Just Once
by BBC Addict
Summary: Oneshot. Carter's been injured and Jack stays with her until a med team can arrive.


"Carter!" "Sam!" "Captain Carter!" Three voices rang out simultaneously as the seemingly solid ground beneath Sam's feet disappeared.

Sam, too stunned to cry out, fell a short distance before hitting the side of the ravine, bouncing against rocks and protruding roots, and skidding to a halt at the end of the incline.

As soon as she stopped, Jack jumped into action. He ordered Teal'c to stay where he was and get ready to haul them back up. Teal'c nodded once and began preparing the rope. Jack commanded Daniel to follow him down. "Carefully," he added.

The pair made it safely to the bottom. Daniel winced as he saw Sam's left leg and arm twisted into unnatural positions. Jack knelt next to her, checking for head injury. He checked her pulse and respiration. "Teal'c," he said into his radio, "haul Daniel back up and get back to the gate. Have Fraiser send a gurney and a med team. Carter's unconscious, possibly in shock, and she's got two broken limbs. There's no way we can get her out of here without making it worse."

"Very well, O'Neill," Teal'c replied.

Daniel studied Sam for a moment. "Is she gonna be ok?"

Jack sighed. "She looks fine, but I don't know how banged up her head got on the way down."

"What about you?"

"I didn't just tumble down half a mountain."

Daniel shook his head. "That's not what I meant." He looked pointedly at Jack before turning and grabbing the rope that Teal'c had lowered.

* * *

Jack sat on a log, keeping watch. He had no reason to expect anything to happen; the planet appeared uninhabited and Goa'uld free. Jack had learned not to judge a planet by its appearance, though, so he kept his eyes peeled, scanning the forest and the lip of the ravine regularly. He frequently glanced down at Sam, too. She was pale and occasionally whimpered, Jack guessed in pain.

Finally, Sam moaned and began stirring. Jack was immediately on the ground next to her, gently pinning her down. "Don't move, Carter. That's an order."

Sam's eyes fluttered open. "Sir? What happened?"

"You took a nasty spill, Carter. You have a broken leg and a broken arm. You might have a head injury, too, that's why I don't want you to move."

Sam groaned as her face contorted in pain. "I wish I had stayed unconscious."

"I sent Daniel and Teal'c back to the SGC. A med team should be arriving soon."

"Not soon enough." Sam frowned. "You know, the last time I broke my arm was when I was ten. We were camping. That was one of the only times I remember my dad looking worried about me."

"I'm sure he worried about you a lot."

"I don't think so."

"I'm sure he did, Carter. Worrying is what parents do."

They fell silent after that remark. Jack finally realized it had been quiet too long. "Carter! I don't think you should fall asleep."

"I'm not asleep, Dad," she mumbled with her eyes closed.

"Carter, it's Jack. Colonel O'Neill?"

"I don't know him."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Sam. Open your eyes."

"I don't want to. Leave me alone, Mark."

"Sam, it's me, Jack. Not Mark. Not your dad."

"Jack?" she repeated, finally cracking her eyes open. "Where am I?"

"P4X J37."

"What?"

"It has something to do with binary code or something. Don't ask me, you're the computer geek."

Sam shivered slightly, mumbling again. "Mm-hmm." She paused. "It's cold. Why can't we ever go camping in Hawaii?"

Jack shook his head and rummaged through his knapsack. He pulled out the emergency kit and grabbed the blanket. He spread it over Sam. "Better?"

"Mmmm," she replied. Her right hand crept out from beneath the blanket and rested on top of Jack's. Jack gently brushed her wispy bangs to one side. Her hair was so short that it had hardly been mussed by the fall.

"Sir?" she whispered, looking up at him.

"Yes, Carter?"

"Would you miss me if I died?"

"You're not gonna die, Carter."

"Not now, I know. But someday I will. We have pretty dangerous jobs."

Jack took a deep breath, debating whether to joke it off or not. Finally, he spoke. "I can't imagine doing this, any of this, without you."

Sam tightened her grip on Jack's hand. "I hope you won't have to."

Jack closed his eyes. No one else was around and he _had_ to say it, at least once, even if they never spoke of it again. "I love you," he murmured.

Sam smiled faintly. "I know."


End file.
